If it’s not you, chances are you know someone who is: a friend or colleague that seems to be in a relationship, whereby they put in all the effort and seemingly get little in return. Maybe the other person is a narcissist, or a commitment-phobe due to past treatment, or maybe they’re just not as into the relationship as the other person. Regardless of the reason, the relationship is one-sided, and the burdens that fall upon the load-bearer can seem insurmountable.
As someone who has recently (read: the last two months) come out of such a relationship, I can certainly see both sides of the story; she was everything I ever wanted, and everything I never knew I needed. When it was just us, it was amazing. We had plans for the future, and had commitments together – holidays, family engagements, etc. However, that apparently wasn’t enough. We weren’t enough. And, for quite a time, it seemed like I wasn’t enough, despite everything I did. On-again, off-again; are we, are we not? Why am I invited to her family gatherings, and why do we act like we’re a couple, when she won’t commit again?
However, once the decision was made to finally end it, I made a choice to accept it, make a (reasonably) clear break, and move forward rather than lament what could have been. Don’t get me wrong: I still love her, her family and her friends, and I genuinely want nothing more than for her to be happy; we never argued, we never fought. But in the end it wasn’t meant to be. And since it’s happened, so many things have changed so rapidly, that it wasn’t until this weekend that I realised how much it WASN’T working, and how much of myself I’d sacrificed in the blind belief that it was meant to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter, and I’m not trying to act out the martyr; rather, I want to give my side of a story, in the hope that others can relate. This situation happens to both guys and girls equally too, so hopefully this comes across that way.
Does this sound like you? If so, read on, because the next few points might ring true for you as well. And so, without further adieu, I present to you my five signs that you’re in a one-sided relationship (and what can change afterwards):
1. You can’t fathom a future without them, and nobody compares to them
*cue Sinead O’Connor*
Everybody else pales in comparison. You look around the bar or restaurant, and all you see is mediocrity; you have perfection personified sitting across the table from you, and you KNOW that everybody else in the room knows it too, and are green with envy. Don’t bother forming an orderly queue people, because I’m going to win; we were destined to be together, and while it’s hard at the moment, and that commitment is an issue, it’ll be ok. This will be totally worth it. Just you watch.
Top Comments
I don't think feeling like they're the only person in the room (the first point in the article) necessarily means you're in a one-sided relationship. That's just love, if you've got it right, or infatuation, if you haven't. The problem comes when they don't feel the same way about you...
Really relate to the points about flakey cancelling partners though - spot on!
She's just not that into you.